Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Review

Introduction

A well-known and well-proven CPU heatsink in the computer world is the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. For those looking for a budget cooler in the < $30 range, the Hyper 212+ is hands down the most recommended model for both price and performance. It's extremely popular across the the entire world and holds the trophy for best bang for the buck in my mind — many other will agree. Taking into consideration the amount of success that the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ has gathered, I'm excited to take a look at Cooler Master's new version of the heatsink: the Hyper 212 Evo. I have always enjoyed Cooler Masters' products due to their simplicity, favor towards function over form, and of course the products' performance.

Though the original Cooler Master Hyper 212+ was heavily praised, many users and ongoing reviews of the cooler threw criticism towards its poor(er) quality base and suffered from large gaps between the heatpipes and the rest of the base. You can find a clear picture of this condition on Page 2 of our 2009 review of the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. These gaps, as explained in this review, trap excess heat and slow the heat transfer in this area tremendously! However, in the recently-released Hyper 212 Evo, Cooler Master introduced a new "technology" deemed CDC — or Continuous Direct Contact. This design change pushes the heatpipes much closer together, eliminating these pesky gaps and increasing the heat transfer capability of the base. The revised base is really the only design change that I can distinguish. There is a difference in the supplied fans; the fan with the Hyper 212+ offers more static pressure at 3.90 mmH2O versus only 2.7mmH2O with the Evo version. However, even though both operate at 2000 RPM the Hyper 212 Evo's fan moves slightly more air at 83CFM versus the 77CFM of the Hyper 212+. I would imagine that static pressure is of less concern on an air cooler (dense fin heatsinks and water cooling radiators enjoy it though) with the likes of the Hyper 212, so I think the Hyper 212 Evo will be a winner by a slight margin.

In this review, I will provide a complete evaluation of the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo from its unboxing, a close-up look of the heatsink, manufacturer-provided specifications, and features to a rigorous test session where its performance will be compared to other heatsinks currently available on the market. Let's get started.

Closer Look:

The packaging of Cooler Master's Hyper 212 Evo is just like that of about every other recent Cooler Master product. It is presented in a rectangular box sporting the white and purple color scheme that Cooler Master proudly wears. "Hyper 212 Evo" is written on every face of the box paired with the teal-green Cooler Master logo. The front of the box has an angle-view picture of the cooler with the fan attached, along with the right side of the box. The left side of the box lists a table of numerical specifications (which I will provide on Page 3) such as its dimensions, weight, fan RPM, socket compatibility, and more. The rear of the box lists only four bulleted features, but in eight different languages (including English of course) and a few wireframe drawings of the cooler at different views with its features dimensioned. Inside of the box, the cooler is housed in a clear plastic clam shell with a plain white cardboard box that contains all of the mounting hardware and thermal paste. The fan is already attached to the cooler.

Included accessories shown above are: universal backplate and mounting crossbars, nuts and screws for its mounting, four rubber dampening pads along with plastic rails and screws in order to attach an optional additional fan, hex tool, thermal paste and the user's manual (not shown). The mounting mechanism on this unit is very simple and appears to be the same as the original Hyper 212+, and shares roots with the mountings of some of Cooler Master's larger offerings. With everything unpacked and out of the box, let's take a closer look at the cooler.